Known to the art are flow-forming devices that receive at input rectangular postal objects, for example postal objects arranged in the form of a pack, and generating at output a group of partially overlapping postal objects, i.e., ones aligned in a rectilinear direction, partially overlapping and arranged with their own front edges (corresponding to a minor side of the rectangular perimeter) appropriately spaced apart from one another, for example with a pitch that is not constant and depends upon the dimensions of the objects set up against one another.
Said flow-forming devices can, in some operating configurations, operate jointly with accumulation devices designed to carry out the operation of accumulation and conveying of the sets of partially overlapping postal objects.
For example, the European patent No. EP-B-923 997 filed in the name of the present applicant describes a device for the conveying and accumulation of groups of partially overlapping postal objects, in which a plurality of first conveying modules receive at input the groups of partially overlapping postal objects generated by flow-forming devices and feed them at output towards a loop conveying system that communicates with inputs of second conveying modules.
The loop conveying system controlled by an electronic control unit is configured to receive a set of partially overlapping postal objects arriving from any first source module and feed it to any second conveying destination module.